‘Why some governors want Tukur to go’

The insistence by some state governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the removal of the national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for peace to reign in the party has been attributed to the struggle for the party’s 2015 presidential election ticket.

A chieftain of the party from one of the Southsouth states told The Nation on condition of anonymity that the governors involved in the plot are actually locked in the stifling battle with the chairman over his perceived favourable disposition toward President Goodluck Jonathan flying the party’s flag in 2015.

It was learnt that most of the governors elected on the platform of the party are clearly averse to the ‘moves’, which seem to indicate the intention of the President to scheme for a second term, although he is yet to openly declare his ambition.

“The national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is strongly in favour of the President flying the party’s ticket and he has been doing everything to drum support for him at every opportunity. For instance, the chairman has not allowed the governors to seize the control of the party in their states; he rather thinks the Presidency should take absolute control of the party, no matter whose ox is gored.

“It is this iron cast position of Alhaji BamangaTukur that has locked him in a battle of wits with the PDP governors. This is novel. It has never happened in the history of this party before. The governors want Bamanga sacked so that they can take absolute control of the party and its soul so that they can dictate to the President and frustrate his ambition of having a go at the Presidency in 2015. After all we know those who are bent on succeeding the President by hook or crook among the governors” the party stalwart said.

When reminded that the President has not told anybody he is interested in 2015, he dismissed it as ‘political naivety’ to say that the President is not interested in 2015. According to the source, all was well between the governors and the national chairman of the party until he came up with the idea of the Presidency having full control of all the organs of the party. For him, it is the only guarantee for the President is to succeed with his 2015 agenda.

“Initially, when information filtered out about the plans of Alhaji Tukur taking control of the national organs of the party for the sake of the president’s ambition, most of the governors considered him as a joker because the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party are populated by nominees of the governors.

“However, following a court decision on the congresses of the party in the Southwest as illegal and the swift reaction of the national executive of the party to the court decision, and replacement of the National Secretary of the party, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, then the eyes and ears of the governors in the party executive, got the governors to climb down on their high horses. The battle line was drawn and part of the plot is to get Bamanga Tukur out at all cost,” the source revealed.

The source named the recent revelation of the alleged agreement signed by the President to do only one term and the prominence given to the crisis in the Adamawa State chapter of the party as some of the immediate reactions of the governors in their bid to “harass and brow beat the chairman are all part of the strategy of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang”.

But the embattled national chairman is said to be enjoying the confidence and backing of the Presidency. “What those who are against the leadership of Tukur has failed to realise is that any revolt or opposition against Tukur is an open declaration of supremacy war on Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 ambition.

“Clearly, all the so called transgression of Tukur for which they have vowed to get him removed are all to the benefit of the President. Therefore, he has all the support he needs from the Presidency to take on those opposed to the desire of Goodluck Jonathan to contest in 2015,” the source said.